Triceratops Upset by Lakeland in Regional Final

Triceratops forward James Anderson Jr. drives to the basket in a February game against Hocking College. The sophomore has been named to the 2018-2019 All-OCCAC First Team and NJCAA Division II All-District Team, and is the OCCAC Player of the Year runner-up.

In the end, the Triceratops simply couldn’t put the ball in the basket enough to keep their season alive.

Top-seeded Tri-C defeated third-seeded Lakeland twice during the regular season; but because fewer than five points decided each game, Triceratops coach Michael Duncan knew a third victory over Lakeland would be a tall order.

And that was before the team lost two of its top scorers to hand injuries in the span of two weeks.

“We knew it was going to be an uphill battle,” Duncan said. “We were already without Josawah Bradford, who fractured his hand late in the regular season. Then Delshawn Jackson broke his thumb Friday night.”

“Lakeland kept double-teaming Graham down low, leaving guys open on the perimeter, and they just didn’t knock down their shots,” Duncan said. “It’s something that plagued us all year, and it finally caught up to us.”

Despite the disappointing end, Duncan said it was a successful season overall. Tri-C advanced to the regional final for the fourth straight year and clinched its third straight 20-win season.

“We lost a stellar group of sophomores last year, so the coaches had to teach the new and returning guys how to compete and win at the college level,” Duncan said. “It meant a lot of practice and a lot of watching film, showing them how to learn from their mistakes. But overall, it was a good year. We saw progress from start to finish.”

Triceratops win multiple OCCAC awards

The Triceratops didn’t reach the NJCAA Division II National Tournament this season, but they also didn’t walk away empty-handed.